


Seat Fillers

by Ok_To_Be_Me



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Insignificant Other, M/M, Reunion 3.0, Robert out of prison, Robron Are Endgame Always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25038211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ok_To_Be_Me/pseuds/Ok_To_Be_Me
Summary: Everything that happened onscreen has happened. We know why Robert did what he did and now we find out why Aaron seemingly gave up too easily (spoiler, he didn't).  Aaron is quick to get rid of the insignificant other (don't worry he's barely a walk on part) and they have a long overdue conversation.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	Seat Fillers

**Author's Note:**

> This is my spin, what I'll be telling myself is real reason for everything that has happened and will happen. 
> 
> Also I don't specify how long Robert was in prison, I'll let you decide how long or short it has been. Whatever you can cope with.
> 
> I don't claim to be a writer but the idea wouldn't leave me alone after all the moving on articles so I had to write it down. Steffi made me post it.

Aaron scrambled to his feet as soon as he saw their visitor follow Liv through the door. His sister looked like she had seen a ghost and she was watching Aaron as if she was waiting for him to lose it. He looked again at the man stood behind her, he couldn’t believe he was actually back here standing in The Mill. One minute he’d been about to have _the talk_ with Marc and then the doorbell had rung, which shocked him because he’d gotten used to people just barging in. But it was nothing compared to the shock of seeing Robert, he had no idea that he’d been released. It hurt that no-one had bothered to tell him. He still looked the same, kind of, his hair was longer and he had more scruff than Aaron was used to. He could see he had lost weight while in prison but something else was different and he couldn’t immediately put his finger on it. He watched the man who had been such an important part of his life standing quietly behind his little sister. Robert was intently studying his feet, he wasn’t making eye contact with any of them in the room let alone talking to them. He realised that the smugness that had both infuriated and turned Aaron on was missing. Aaron thought back to how Robert had been with Alex, how he’d walked up to them in the pub, pulled up a chair and claimed Aaron as his and now he wasn’t even looking in the direction of the man currently sat on the sofa.

Aaron felt like he’d been saved by that doorbell, he knew the conversation with Marc was going to be difficult because he’d brought Liv into it. Gone behind Aaron’s back to ask his sister for back up and he knew she would give it because she was always pushing for Aaron to make a go of relationships. But Robert had turned up just in the nick of time and interrupted them, saved him from what felt like an ambush. But this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t do this now and he couldn’t deal with them both being in the same room.

“I need you to leave, you can’t be here,” he managed to croak out, his eyes firmly fixed on Robert.

Robert finally raised his head to look at Aaron. When their eyes met a knot twisted in Aaron’s stomach and then it did a little flip. Robert’s eyes became glassy and his face fell, it took him a couple of attempts before he managed to get any words out.

“I…I…I’m sorry, I…I…just didn’t want you to randomly run into me in the village and…and I didn’t want you to hear I was back from someone else. I thought you…you should hear it from me. I’ll go, I’m sorry Aaron.”

“No not you,” he inclined his head towards the sofa, “him.”

“What?!” Marc had been watching the scene play out, not really sure what was happening. Aaron and Liv had seemed shocked when this blond guy turned up and for what felt like an age no-one had said a word. And then Aaron had told the guy to leave, well that’s what Marc thought had happened but now apparently he meant him.

“Aaron…” Liv had finally found her voice.

“No Liv, stay out of it. For once please, just don’t.”

“Aaron, I know Robert…I know it’s a shock but…”

“I mean it Liv,” he growled at her.

Marc had thought this guy looked familiar but he hadn’t been able to place him. As soon as Liv mentioned Robert the penny dropped. The guy he always felt in competition with, the guy who still sat in a frame beside Aaron’s bed, the man who was still the wallpaper on his phone.

“Aaron we were just about to have that important discussion…. you know about me moving in, maybe your friend can come back later.”

The emotions threatened to consume Aaron, part shame but mostly anger, “no we were going to have a conversation about you packing your things and never coming back.”

“What just because he’s turned up?” he sneered.

“No! You knew what this was from the beginning…or more importantly what this wasn’t. Nothing has changed for me and if you were thinking otherwise it was time for you to go. Now please just leave.”

“You don’t mean that, you know you don’t. Liv said we’d been together longer than the others so I know it was more.”

Aaron glared at Liv who quickly looked away from him, he could see the redness in her cheeks as she shuffled awkwardly. He couldn’t believe they were discussing this as though Robert wasn’t just stood there having to listen to it all.

“It was only because you took longer to push for more, you’re nothing special, believe me.”

“Aaron..,” he reached out his hand towards him but Aaron backed away.

“No! Get! Out! Now!” As he shouted he at Marc he noticed Robert flinch, the others probably didn’t notice but he’d been hyper aware of everything about him since he walked through the door. He knew that feeling, remembered how twitchy he had been when he was released from prison. Remembered punching Robert because of it.

“It’s okay,” whispered Robert as he moved towards the door, “I’ll go, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“No, Robert you stay there. You got everything your own way last time and now it’s my turn to be in charge, so just do as you’re told.” Aaron thought he saw a twitch of Robert’s lips, a hint of a smile but all he cared about was that he had stopped leaving.

Aaron turned back towards Marc, lowering in voice, “look I’ve always been clear with you. I’ve never promised you anything but I’m sorry if you had false hope. I’ll get Liv to drop your things off.”

“What so you’re just going to take him back?”

“It’s none of your business what I do. Please go, this isn’t helping anyone.”

“I played your game, I didn’t complain about all his photos around this place. I let you keep his picture as your phone wallpaper and this is how you treat me.”

“Let me?” Aaron snorted, “I would have liked to see you try and stop me.”

Marc grabbed his jacket but as he headed for the door, stopped in front of Robert who stepped back towards Liv, “you’re welcome to him, he’s a screwed up mess anyway,” he spat before Aaron grabbed him and pushed him out of the door.

Liv and Robert listened to the sound of shouting coming from the hallway outside. Robert wished he could help but he was frozen to the spot, not that him getting involved would make anything better. He should have rung Aaron, turning up like this was a mistake but he had gotten it into his head that Aaron should learn the news from him and he should have the guts to face him in person after what he’d done. Now he’d just made everything worse as usual.

“Sorry about that,” muttered Aaron when he came back inside.

“That was cruel Aaron, you shouldn’t have just thrown him out.”

“Liv I can’t talk about this now. Can you leave us alone please.”

Liv nodded her head and turned to Robert, wrapping her arms around him she tells him that she is happy to see him back and that she’s glad he is okay. She doesn’t notice the stiffness in Robert’s arms as he tentatively hugs her back. But Aaron sees it, he sees that he is not really okay.

Finally they are alone and neither of them really knows what to say. Aaron rubs his hand down his face and looks over to Robert who is looking around the room. Looking at how a lot of it hasn’t changed, at how there’s still his robots and models on the shelves. There’s other things there too now but Aaron could never bring himself to remove them. He sees Robert look over to the door where the coats are hanging and when he sees his eyes widen he knows he’s spotted it. In the days after Robert had cut off contact with Aaron he’d been angry and put all Robert’s clothes in bin bags. He told Vic he was throwing them out if she didn’t want them. He didn’t of course, he put them all in the loft, apart from the leather jacket which he’d stuffed in the back of his wardrobe. After Cain had finally moved out and Liv had gone to university he’d hung it back up on the coat pegs, where it belonged. He occasionally wore it, on anniversaries when he needed to feel close to Robert.

“So…,” he muttered as he scratched his eyebrow still feeling uncomfortable that Robert had witnessed it all. There was a time Robert would have enjoyed it, had a smug comment to make at Aaron’s expense. If someone would’ve told him back then that there would come a time that he would miss his smugness he probably would have punched them for being ridiculous.

“Did you really just end it because I came back?” Robert whispered.

Aaron laughed, “I knew he wanted to move in and that was never going to happen so it was time to get rid. So no I didn’t end it because of you, it’s not all about you mate.”

He watched as Robert moved over to the table and picked up his phone. He watches him smile as the screen wakes and he sees the picture of the two of them from their first wedding. All the while that Robert has been away he’s alternated the picture between this and the family photo with Seb and Liv. Robert turns the screen towards him and just raises his eyebrow. Aaron feels his cheeks heating up and also a warmth spread through his insides at the thought that the smugness hasn’t disappeared entirely. His Robert is still in there somewhere. Then the thought hits him, maybe he isn’t his Robert anymore. Maybe he has moved on.

Robert notices the change in his face, “what’s wrong Aaron?”

He’s using his soft voice, the one he reserves for Aaron but what if he uses that voice on someone else now. As far as Robert knew Aaron had moved on, just walked away and not fought for him. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to make everyone think he was doing what Robert had wanted. Robert had every right to do the same. He tries to push the thought from his mind.

“So what are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were getting out?”

“I just got it into my head that it wasn’t something I could tell you in a letter or over the phone. That it was a face to face kind of thing.”

Aaron felt sick this was it, this was moment he hears he’s lost Robert for good.

“Was I wrong?” Robert looks at him, he looks nervous, “I mean I didn’t expect anything but I at least thought you would be pleased for me.”

“Pleased about what? What are you trying to tell me Robert? Just spit it out, don’t try and let me down gently.”

Robert looks at him in complete confusion, “what are you talking about?”

“What couldn’t you tell over the phone? What did you need to tell me in person?”

Robert smiles at him, he actually has the nerve to smile and part of Aaron was to punch him. His whole life is about to crumble and Robert is smiling.

“That I had been released early you idiot, what did you think I meant?”

Aaron stops holding his breath and every muscle in his body relaxes as he sighs in relief as he sinks down onto the sofa, “so you haven’t met someone else?”

“What? Of course not! You were it for me Aaron, I told you that I would always love you and I meant it.” Robert shakes his head, “look I’m not back here because I expect to pick up where we left off. I just didn’t really have anywhere else to go so I had to come back Emmerdale. Not that I didn’t want to come back but I was worried how you would take it. I know I hurt you with the divorce, I’m sorry I had to do it that way. But I also know that it worked. If I hadn’t pushed you away you would’ve waited for me, I didn’t want you to be serving a sentence as well, bad enough I’d already ruined everything.” He gives Aaron a sad smile, “I checked in with Vic from time to time and made sure you were okay. She said you were doing what I wanted, getting on with your life.”

Cautiously Robert moves over to where Aaron is nervously biting his lip and sits down next to him. Robert looks just as nervous and his eyes are watery as he blinks rapidly.

“I know you’ve moved on but we were pretty good friends once right, so maybe one day we can get back there. I’d rather have that than not have you in my life at all. But I understand if you can’t, we did kinda mess that up as well. I’ll always care about you Aaron so if you ever need a friend…” he shrugs, “well er anyway I better get back to Diane’s.”

“Diane’s? You’re not staying with Vic?”

“No, not with Harry. We thought it would be best if he got to know me first. Anyway I’m sorry that I made that whole thing with er…that um guy more awkward. I’ll see you around...maybe?”

He stands, hitching his jeans up in the way that Aaron remembers he always used to. As Robert turns towards the door he notices the trousers are much baggier on his new slimmer frame.

“Robert wait, please don’t go yet. I’ll make a drink we can talk.”

“Don’t you need to go and sort things out with that bloke?”

“There’s nothing to sort out I told you, he was nothing.”

“It’s okay, I know there’s been guys. I told you Vic..”

“Should’ve kept her mouth shut.” Aaron snaps.

“Don’t be like that, I needed her to tell me. I wanted to know you were happy, it’s what I wanted for you.”

“What about what I wanted Robert? You never learned, you took my choice away from me again. Well the jokes on you because it was all a lie. I didn’t realise I was so convincing but I guess I learnt from the best,” he snaps.

Robert gapes at him, not sure what to say. He just nods when Aaron offers to make him a cup of tea.

~~~

They take their drinks and sit down on the sofa again, Robert’s composed himself after Aaron’s earlier comment. The snipe about his lying, while true, had stung a bit but not as much as the thought that Aaron may not have been as happily getting on with his life as he thought.

“What did you mean Aaron? What was the lie?”

Aaron sits there, chewing on his lip while trying to keep the tears at bay. He’d had the fantasy about Robert coming home to him more times than Paddy’s put his foot in it. It had never gone like this. Robert had never come in and found him with another guy for a start. It usually began with a reunion outside the prison gates like the day he was released. They’d get reacquainted and that spark would still be there. Aaron would confess about the guys, explain how he had felt about them and none of it would matter, because they would realise they were soulmates. But the reality of knowing that Robert was sat in a cell thinking that Aaron had just given up and walked away from what they had so easily brought back all his feelings of guilt. Nothing could be further from the truth. A tear slipped down his cheek and he felt Robert grab is hand.

“Aaron,” he whispered, “you’re scaring me. You can tell me anything, what’s wrong.”

“Just hearing you say it out loud, that you were locked up and thinking that I’d just forgotten about you and carried on with my life.”

“It’s okay, that is what I needed you to do,” he reassured him, rubbing circles on the back of Aaron’s hand with his thumb. “It made it easier for me knowing that I hadn’t completely ruined your life as well.”

“That’s why I didn’t fight for you,” he whispers, “even after I got over the initial anger and doubt. Not because you didn’t want me to but because I knew you’d be feeling guilty. I knew you’d be blaming yourself and you’ve lived enough of your life feeling guilty about other people. All those years you couldn’t be yourself because of your Dad…I didn’t want to be another name on that list. But I wanted to fight with every bone of my body…you know?”

“I know,” he smiles at their words remembers the special meaning and swallows past the lump in his throat.“But there’s a reason I feel guilty, I end up hurting everyone, Katie, Chrissie, Lawrence and Max all died because of me and none of them deserved it. Ironic that I get jailed for the one person I killed that did eh?”

“Robert don’t. You didn’t set out to hurt any of them, they were accidents. Ok you wanted to hurt him but did you want to kill him? Like actually kill him, not just something you said in anger. It was the middle of a fight and it could’ve happened to anyone. Especially me with my record.”

Robert nods, he had expected more resistance from Aaron in the beginning even if he hadn’t given him much option. He hadn’t realised how much he needed to know that it hadn’t been any easier for Aaron.

“I am sorry, it had to be that way. It was selfish of me but the day you came to visit was so hard. Having you so close and not being able to hold you and kiss you. It was one of the hardest thing I’d ever done. I knew we couldn’t do that for 14 years and I couldn’t ask you to put your life on hold for that long. But still, it did hurt when I found out about the other blokes, I can’t pretend it didn’t.”

“I didn’t care about those men, I just wanted everyone to think I did. My family didn’t get it as soon as you were locked up they thought I should just get over you.” It still made him angry when he thought about how unsupportive they were.

“Well the Dingles and Paddy were never my biggest fans,” he laughed but Aaron could see the sadness behind it. Not even Liv had understood and she was the closest to him.

“Actually Cain got it, he knew why you’d done it. He still thought I should move on because you wanted me to but he understood you more than the others did.”

“Cain really? And to think he used to dislike me so much he locked me in a car boot and tried to blackmail me. But you didn’t need Cain to tell you right? You knew why I’d done it?”

Aaron looked up at Robert’s face and felt his tears spill over again when he thought back to that time. How confused and insecure he’d felt.

“Part of me thought I understood but there was also part of me that worried you didn’t love me as much as I loved you. That our marriage hadn’t been as important, that you could just end it like that. You got your solicitor to send a letter, you didn’t even bother to tell me yourself.”

“Aaron, why do you think I couldn’t tell you when you came to visit. I wouldn’t have gone through with it, you would’ve said no and I wouldn’t have argued with you. And you would have wasted the best years of your life waiting for me. You were everything to me Aaron, you always have been since the beginning. Before we were really a couple, when I was still denying who I was I knew you were the most important person in my life. Even when I was still married to Chrissie…before I married her.”

“But you didn’t even let me say goodbye properly, you just cut me off and I didn’t know what to do with all these feelings. I wasn’t sleeping, I was drinking too much and bringing random blokes into our home. Then you wrote to Vic and you didn’t even mention me, it was as if I’d never existed. Have you any idea how that felt? How difficult it was for me not to hurt myself. I took off in your car, I couldn’t handle it, Cain found me and it probably brought up bad memories for him. Then on top of losing you, I lost Seb too. I lost the final connection to you, the last part of our family.”

The feelings of guilt had resurfaced once again. He knew it had been cruel to cut Aaron off like that but he also knew that making Aaron angry at him was the best chance he had at making his plan work. But it had been hard for him to live with, especially the thought of Aaron hating him. It’s why he’d had to apologise all those months later. Aaron was still the one person he didn’t want to think badly of him. No-one else’s opinion really mattered outside of his family. Chas, Paddy and Liv had all hated him at one point but he had thought they grown to like him in the end. He was disappointed they hadn’t been more understanding and supportive.Why had no-one bothered to tell him how much Aaron was struggling? Vic or Chas were quick to interfere usually but they’d kept silent on this. There wasn’t much he could’ve done from prison but maybe he could’ve explained things better, got something sorted about Seb. They had promised Robert that they would look out for him, Aaron not being able to cope had been the one he had been worried about, they all knew that.

“I’m so sorry Aaron,” he managed to croak out, “I had no idea it was so bad.”

“When you finally wrote to me it helped. I was still pissed off that you had taken my choice away from me and just decided without talking to me but I knew for sure why you’d done it and it was because you cared. So that’s when I made my plan.”

He looked down to where Robert was still holding his hand, still gently rubbing it with his thumb. He raised his gaze to his face and those blue/green eyes he adored and the frecklesthat were much fainter at the moment but would be more prominent when he’d had a bit more sun. The look on Robert’s face calmed him and he nodded his encouragement for Aaron to continue.

“I decided that I would always love you but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from living my life. And I would be open to any opportunities that might come along, you know like Tom Hardy.”

Robert managed a laugh, “yeah in your dreams.”

“Well your dreams are full of Hugh Jackman,” Aaron smirked as Robert nodded and laughed some more.

“Anyway that’s the story I told everyone but the reality…well let’s just say I’d tried the different bloke every night when you first cut me off and that just made me feel worse about myself. So I thought maybe I’d try sticking with one bloke for a while. I’d insist on taking things slow because you know I’d lost my soulmate and I wasn’t over him. That excuse couldn’t last forever but it gave me a bit more time and I’d treat them like mates to hang out with most of the time. I wasn’t a monk but you know…,” he didn’t finish the thought but the pained look on Robert’s face showed him he didn’t need to. “The minute they showed that they wanted commitment of any kind I’d find some reason to end it. But to everyone else it at least looked like I was trying. But to me they were just like those people, what are they called?”

Robert frowned in confusion, “what people?”

“You know. Oh I saw Lewis Capaldi talking about them on Graham Norton. At award shows they have those people that sit in the seats until the stars get back so it doesn’t look empty.”

Robert looked shocked “Hang on you know who Lewis Capaldi is?”

“I played Someone You Loved on repeat after I lost you. Drove Cain mad.”

Robert looked like someone had punched him in the gut, “yeah he definitely writes music you can relate to when you’re going through heartbreak. I’ve listened to him a lot.”

Aaron nodded and threaded their fingers together, “yeah? Okay well I am extremely concerned that we are liking the same music.”

Robert laughed, “So seat fillers? You thought of them as seat fillers?”

“Yeah that’s it, they were seat fillers. Filling the emptiness in my life…,” he stopped not wanting to continue that thought.

“Until your star got back,” Robert smiled until he seem to realise what he’d said and this cheeks started to turn red.

“So are you? Back I mean. Not my star because well we both know the answer to that.”

Robert didn’t answer, he just kept staring at their interlocked fingers. When had that happened and why did it feel so right? They couldn’t go back there….could they?

“Robert please,” Aaron pleaded with him, “go back to Diane’s and collect your stuff. You belong here with me. You know we are useless without each other.”

“I can’t Aaron, we always manage to mess this up.”

Aaron dropped his hand and Robert immediately felt the loss until Aaron’s hands were grasping at either side of his face, forcing Robert to look him in the eye.

“You once told me you wanted messed up, with me, forever. Did I do something to change that? You told me I was enough.”

“Of course you didn’t! You are enough, of course you are. I’m just not sure I’m good enough for you. You deserve better Aaron.”

“I don’t want anyone else Robert, I’ve had the chance to find someone and like some guy once told me no-one came close.”

Robert smiled at having his words thrown back at him again. “I’m such a mess though Aaron, I’m nervous and I jump at every little noise. Maybe I should try and work on getting myself sorted first.”

“Who better to help you than me. Come on Robert you know I’m right.”

“What about Liv? Shouldn’t you speak to her first, she seemed keen on that other guy.”

“Yeah well she liked Alex so excuse me if I don’t take her dating advice. Anyway she’s an adult and she doesn’t live here anymore.” He smiles and then adds at Robert’s questioning look, “when she’s not at uni she lives upstairs. Doesn’t want me cramping her style apparently.”

“Your mum won’t like it.”

Sensing victory Aaron laughs, “is that the best you can come up with Sugden? I think I’ve proven over the years that how my mum feels about you doesn’t stop me. Besides she knows better than to get in the way of us now. And it’s not like before, she understands why you did it. She saw the letter you wrote to Vic, she knows how hard it was for you. So unless you can think of anymore excuses will you please just come home and let me help you?”

“That sounds familiar, you can’t even use new lines on me Dingle. Hang on there’s something missing though,” he adds as he fumbles to get his phone out of his pocket. Aaron watches him in amusement as he opens his music app and a song begins to play.

_When the rain is blowing in your face_

_And the whole world is on your case_

_I could offer you a warm embrace_

_To make you feel my love_

Aaron’s eyes turn glassy again, “well it wouldn’t be right without our song.”

“Aaron Dingle did you just admit we have a song? Next you will be agreeing it can be our wedding dance.”

“Oh so there’s going to be another wedding is there?” Aaron smiles as Robert realises what he just said.

“Well maybe we were right last time and we are jinxed. Perhaps we shouldn’t try again.”

Aaron pouts, “nope I’m not buying that, we just have to promise not to do anything to land either of us in prison this time. So no beating anyone up and no bashing rapists with shovels, no matter how much they deserve it. And maybe if you promise not to tell anyone I admitted that this was our song I will actually dance with you properly at this wedding.”

“Is that a proposal?”

“Shut up,” he laughs, “but it is definitely my turn to propose this time.”

“Mmmmn I not sure about that, let me think about it.”

“Right well while you’re thinking about it I might need to find another seat filler.”

“Okay, okay I’ve thought about it but no funfairs or poncey bars this time.”

“Well we didn’t actually make it to either last time so maybe we should just head straight to the lay-by.” he laughs before he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to Robert’s lips.

“But maybe we should wait Aaron, we’ve rushed into it before and…”

“Well maybe not right away but don’t you think we’ve wasted enough time? I’ve missed you Mr Dingle.”

“Not as much as I’ve missed you Mr Sugden. Perhaps this time we should legally change it to Sugden-Dingle or Dingle-Sugden if you prefer.”

“I told you I quite like it being Sugden-Dingle first,” Aaron smiles, “ but yeah maybe we should do it differently this time and then it will be third time lucky.”

“Third and final time. And we won’t be needing anymore seat fillers,” Robert states.

“Nope, definitely no more seat fillers,” he agrees as he leans in and presses their lips together.

**_The End_ **

P.S. third time’s a charm when it comes to these two idiots and they do stick around together until they’re eighty or something.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully we won't have to endure too many seat fillers before Robert comes back.


End file.
